Commuters and patients seeking treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University suffered terribly on Sunday as postgraduate trainee physicians blocked the city鈥檚 Shahbagh crossing for hours pressing for pay rises.
Chanting slogans demanding their monthly salary of Tk 25,000 to be doubled, witnesses said that several hundred physicians gathered at the medical university鈥檚 gate near the Shahbagh crossing about 1:00pm and later blocked the crossing.
The demonstrators carrying the banner of the 鈥楧octors鈥� movement for justice鈥� also announced the beginning of an indefinite work-abstention until their demand was met.
Earlier in 2023 also, the trainees demonstrated for pay rises from Tk 20,000 to Tk 50,000, which was responded by the government to increasing their salary to Tk 25,000.
The protesters at the gathering said that prices of essentials hiked leaving them struggling to pay for their basic needs.
Vehicular movement in the area resumed around 4:00pm after the blockade was withdrawn with assurances from the government.
During the demonstration, representatives from the protesting physicians met the health and finance ministry officials.
Shohel Islam, a trainee under the Fellowship of college of Physicians and Surgeon, in short FCPS, at Dhaka Medical College Hospital said that the officials assured them about meeting their demand.
鈥榃e gave them time until Thursday. We have withdrawn the blockade but our work abstention will continue,鈥� he said.
Protesters said that currently over 7,000 postgraduate physicians were not on the government payroll and were considered private trainee doctors as they went for specialised education on different branches of medical science.
According to the rules, postgraduate trainees were entitled to Tk 25,000 as monthly allowance for their services to hospitals they were attached with.
Physicians do their post-graduation degrees under the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University聽and the Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons, and provide services to 30 healthcare institutions as part of their education to get practical skills.
Post-graduation courses, such as diploma, MS, MD, MPhil, MMed and MPH, take 2鈥�5 years to complete.
Trainee physicians said that they had to work 14鈥�16 hours in hospitals on condition of not doing private practice.
The amount of Tk 25,000 was too meagre to meet basic needs, they said.
On the same day, in Eskaton area in the capital, a section of aspiring teachers blocked the road in front of the Non-Government Teachers鈥� Registration and Certification Authority for about two hours demanding direct appointment to secondary and higher secondary level educational institutions.
At the Banani Kakoli crossing in the city on the day, Prime Asia University students blocked the road for the second consecutive day, pressing for several demands.
Banani police sub-inspector Md Ashikur Rahman said that the demonstration that started at about 3:10pm caused serious traffic disruptions before the police dispersed them at 3:45pm, reports the United News of Bangladesh.
